Informant Doesn’t Mean What Some People Think It Means
by Structured Settlement Watchdog
The word informant gets thrown around loosely in some corners of the insurance world, usually by people who don’t understand what the word actually means. According to Merriam‑Webster, an informant is someone who supplies information covertly, often in a law‑enforcement or criminal‑investigative context.
As Aunt Merriam reminds us, the primary synonyms for “informant” include snitch, rat, stool pigeon, and tipster — terms that belong in crime dramas and prison movies, not structured‑settlement education.
Nothing about the Structured Settlement Watchdog® is covert, secret, or directed by any authority. Everything published here is public, sourced, documented, and transparent.
And speaking of misused terms and misunderstood facts…
Somebody else has gotten something dreadfully wrong.
🔹 Why Insurance Informant Gets Independent Life Dreadfully Wrong
Insurance Informant claims to “demystify the insurance industry.” Yet its April 27, 2026 profile of Independent Life Insurance Company demonstrates the opposite: a stitched‑together blend of unrelated companies, contradictory timelines, and factually impossible statements.
The article conflates three separate entities:
- Independent Life & Accident Insurance Company (Jacksonville, FL) — a legacy insurer that merged into American General Life & Accident in 1997.
- Independent Life (Independent Insurance Group, founded 2018) — the structured‑settlement annuity carrier.
- Sterling National Life Insurance Company — acquired by Independent Insurance Group in 2021.
This is not “demystification.” It is content barfing by Insurance Informant, with no demonstrable subject‑matter understanding.
Below is the factual correction.
🔹 Myth vs. Fact: Independent Life (Table)
| 🔸 Insurance Informant Claim (Myth) | 🔹 Documented Reality (Fact) |
|---|---|
| “Independent Life… was acquired by The Hanover Insurance Group in 2012.” | False twice. Hanover Insurance Group has no connection to any Independent Life entity. Insurance Informant confuses Hanover with Hannover Re, the reinsurer of the modern Independent Life (2018). Different spelling, different companies, no relationship. |
| “Independent Life is currently inactive” (Florida entity 009456). | Florida entity 009456 is the legacy Independent Life & Accident, merged into AGL in 1997. The 2018 structured‑settlement carrier is active and licensed. |
| “Independent Life was founded in 1896 / 1920 / 2018.” | Insurance Informant collapses three different companies. Only the 2018 entity is the structured‑settlement carrier. |
| “Independent Life merged with American General Life and Accident in 1997.” | True — but only for the legacy company. The 2018 Independent Life did not exist at that time. |
| “Independent Life launched its new entity recently” (while also calling it inactive). | The structured‑settlement carrier was formed in 2018. Later filings (2026) relate to the 26North Re transaction, not the creation of the company. |
| “Independent Life has secured committed sales predominantly from plaintiff settlement recoveries.” | This describes the 2018 company, not the legacy Jacksonville insurer. |
| “Independent Life and Accident Insurance Company of Jacksonville is the same company as the structured‑settlement carrier.” | False. They are completely unrelated companies with different ownership, histories, and regulatory filings. |
| “Reinsurance details unclear / part of old company’s lineage.” | Incorrect. Reinsurance applies only to the 2018 company. Independent Life entered a quota‑share treaty with Hannover Life Reassurance Company of America effective October 1, 2020. |
🔹 The Actual Corporate Lineage (Clean Version)
🔹 1. Independent Life & Accident Insurance Company (Jacksonville, FL)
- Early 20th‑century insurer
- Merged into American General Life & Accident in 1997
- Now part of AIG/Corebridge
- Florida entity 009456 (inactive)
🔹 2. Independent Life Insurance Company (Independent Insurance Group, founded 2018)
- Structured‑settlement annuity specialist
- Backed by Kilter Finance and LKHW
- Acquired Sterling National Life in 2021
- Entered agreement to be acquired by 26North Re (2026)
- Reinsured by Hannover Life Reassurance Company of America
- No lineage to the legacy Jacksonville company
🔹 3. Sterling National Life Insurance Company
- Acquired by Independent Insurance Group
- Not part of the old Independent Life & Accident lineage
🔹 Hannover Re: The Part Insurance Informant Missed Entirely
The reinsurance relationship is one of the clearest indicators of the modern Independent Life’s identity:
- Reinsurer: Hannover Life Reassurance Company of America
- Agreement type: Quota‑share
- Effective date: October 1, 2020
- Coverage: In‑force + new structured‑settlement annuity business
- Cession: 65% initially → later increased to 75%
- Retention: Independent Life remains the direct writer
This treaty applies only to the 2018 company. It has nothing to do with the legacy Independent Life & Accident.
Insurance Informant’s failure to distinguish these entities is the root of its confusion.
🔹 Conclusion
Insurance Informant’s profile of Independent Life is not just inaccurate — it is structurally unsound. It conflates unrelated companies, misstates corporate history, misattributes regulatory filings, and presents contradictory timelines.
If the mission is to “demystify insurance,” the Insurance Informant article does the opposite.
Related Reading
Independent Life Insurance Company v Independent Life & Accident of Jacksonville | Independent FAQ – Structured Settlements 4Real®Blog January 25, 2018
Independent Life Reinsurance Misrepresentation Issues – Structured Settlements 4Real®Blog July 14, 2022
Independent Life: Understanding Old Policies Now – Structured Settlements 4Real®Blog Septemebr 30, 2019
26North Re to acquire Independent Insurance Group in strategic entry into US insurance market – Reinsurance News June 1, 2026
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